Contrastive Analysis Of Segmental Features Of English And Urdu Languages

Abstract

The current paper attempts to present a contrastive analysis of segmental features of English and Urdu Languages.It plays a significant role in second language learning and teaching. Language learning involves the transfer of habits of the native language. It is necessary for the program planners, material producers and language instructors to study and understand the similarities and differences between source and target languages. This study [1]makes a contrastive analysis of English and Urdu languages at segmental levels of Phonological units such as sound pattern, allophonic variation, aspiration, nasalization, etc. In the course of this study, the researchers employed mixed-method approach where data were drawn from archive and then analyzed side-by-side revealing their similarities and differences. This was done in Praat software by observing the acoustic features of target phonemes of the two languages. The results of the study demonstrate that although Urdu and English have some similar phonemes, the sounds do not behave the same way in the two languages. Additionally Urdu has more number of phonemes as compared to English. Differences in the phonological features between the two languages result in challenges faced by the Urdu speakers in learning English.